Category: original art

cover art by George Gross

George Gross (American, 1909-2003)
oil on canvas, 16-1/2 x 12-1/8 inches (41.9 x 30.8 cm) (image), not signed

George Gross originally created this work for use as the cover of the October, 1952 issue of the pulp digest Special Detective. After publication, as was a common practice, he reworked the background slightly, adding grey curtains to the upper edges of the scene.

[cover updated 5/22/26]

In this final form, the work got a second life as paperback cover art for The Mistress by Colin Ross (Beacon Books, 1958).

January 1950 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

January 1950 issue

cover art by Norman Saunders

better image than previously posted

~ D.L. Champion, “Death for a Dollar”, last of 26 Rex Sackler stories, same title as 3/44, also a Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), last of 30 stories in BM

~ Robert C. Dennis, “Stop, You’re Killing Me!”, ‘Rhodes, shamus’, 6th of 10 stories in BM

~ Bruno Fischer, “The Lady Grooms a Corpse”, last of 5 stories in BM

~ Philip Ketchum, “One Sunk Punk”, last of 3 stories in BM

~ Roy Lopez, “The Murder’s All Mine”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Robert Martin, “Dirge in Bolero Time”, 4th of 6 stories with ‘Dr. Clint Colby, medical detective, 6th of 8 stories in BM

~ Marian O’Hearn, “Swansong for an Ugly Duckling”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Herb Schneiderman, “Homicide – According to Hoyle”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Tedd Thomey, “Come Hell or Hot Water”, 1st of 2 stories in BM

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